'Recently 10th in win percentage' KT loses top spot; reinforcements finally return: ERA 1.80 sidearm pitcher returns first [Suwon field]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) announced the return of Futures League batting champion Ryu Hyun-jin (26) and first-round sidearm pitcher Kim Jeong-won (22) to the first division.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol stated ahead of the home game against NC Dinos scheduled for the 22nd at Suwon KT Wiz Park for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, "Ryu Hyun-jin should be seen in the first division either the day after tomorrow (24th) or next week. Kim Jeong-won will be called up as soon as he meets the call-up criteria."

KT recorded two wins, one tie, and seven losses in their last 10 games, finishing last in win percentage and handing over the first-place position they had held for nearly a month to Samsung Lions. The collapse of the pitching mound was a major factor. In the last 10 games, KT's mound posted an ERA of 6.95, ranking 9th in the league. In particular, starting pitchers managed only 40 innings during the same period, recording an ERA of 7.08, which also impacted bullpen operations.

Before the game, manager Lee Kang-cheol sighed, "If the starters are not good but the middle relievers are good, we would switch quickly when the innings come, but since both are not good, it's ambiguous and there's no solution. If we bring them out to pitch the 6th to 8th innings, they collapse again, so we can't even get to the 9th inning."

The lineup is equally frustrating. In the same period, they ranked first in batting average (0.320) and third in OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) (0.852), so surface-level statistics were not poor. However, the process of converting opportunities into runs was not smooth, resulting in more losses than wins.

In this situation, the arrival of Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Jeong-won is like having an army of reinforcements. Ryu Hyun-jin, who played for the Army Baseball Team (Sangmu) last year, won the Futures League batting championship with a .412 batting average (152 hits in 369 at-bats), drawing high expectations. Even in this season, his first after discharge, he posted a respectable .282 batting average (11 hits in 39 at-bats) in 15 games.

However, his momentum was cut short when he suffered a fracture in his right little finger while running the bases during a match against Changwon NC Dinos on the 16th of last month. Coincidentally, that day was Ryu Hyun-jin's return to actual competition. In a Futures League home game against Ulsan Whales that day, Ryu Hyun-jin reached base on a hit-by-pitch in his first at-bat and then recorded a hit.

The addition of Kim Jeong-won, who has been performing well in the Futures League, is also welcome. Kim Jeong-won, a right-handed sidearm pitcher, was drafted by KT as the 10th pick in the first round of the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft after graduating from Dongcheon Elementary, Gyeongju Middle, and Daegu High. In 15 Futures League games this year, he recorded 1 win, 1 loss, 1 hold, an ERA of 1.80, and 25 strikeouts in 20 innings, posting excellent results.

Meanwhile, on this day, KT set its batting order as follows: Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Yoo Jun-gyu (center fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Kim Min-hyuk (designated hitter), Kim Sang-soo (second baseman), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Ko Young-pyo.

Jang Sung-woo and Lee Kang-min, who have been in poor form recently, were given rest. In the last 10 games, Jang Sung-woo hit .147 (5 hits in 34 at-bats), and Lee Kang-min hit .138 (4 hits in 29 at-bats), both showing poor performance.

Yoo Jun-gyu and Kwon Dong-jin, who have been in good batting form, filled the vacancies. In the last 10 games, Yoo Jun-gyu hit .364 (8 hits in 22 at-bats), and Kwon Dong-jin hit .467 (7 hits in 15 at-bats), both performing well. In particular, Kwon Dong-jin recorded three hits in four at-bats against Samsung Lions ace Ariel Jurado the previous day (21st), getting on base twice with two walks, firmly establishing his spot.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol held back on details, saying, "(Kim) Jeong-won is being called up because he has been pitching well in the second division," and "(Jang) Sung-woo has been struggling too much recently, so he will take a break."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.